Edmonton's RTC 142
The Edmonton Police Service proudly welcomed its newest honourary member, Janaya Chekowski-Mckenzie, into Recruit Training Class 142 on Friday, May 11th, 2018. Janaya accompanied her fellow class members and received her badge after a previous day full of tours, drills, and excitement with Southeast Division, William Griesbach Training Centre, and Canine/Flight Operations.
Janaya, eight years old, was born with a rare condition called Panhypopituitarism – severely affecting her growth. The disorder then caused optic nerve hypoplasia, resulting in legal blindness while she was just an infant.
Despite the odds and without medical explanation, Janaya miraculously regained her vision as she grew older. However, in a devastating turn of events, she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in February of this year and given a prognosis of less than twelve months. The Edmontonian community has since rallied around Janaya as she receives radiation treatments to improve her health and extend her time with family.
Janaya’s Journey, an initiative to provide as many outstanding experiences as possible for the young girl, was brought to EPS’ attention by Staff Sergeant Bill Clark.
On Thursday, May 10th, Janaya was warmly welcomed to SE Division by Constable Amanda Johnson. After introductions and a brief tour, Janaya and Cst. Johnson travelled with their squad to William Griesbach Training Centre to join in on training activities with the recruits.
Constable Amanda Johnson and Janaya
The morning was filled with laughter and excitement and then it was off to the kennels in the afternoon. Although Janaya loved every moment with the Police Service Dogs, she especially seemed to enjoy watching PSD Fallon taking a bite out of a “bad guy” on the run. The day concluded with a tour and demo of Flight Operations – undoubtedly proving to be a highlight. A brief surveillance of the city in Air 2 led to Janaya’s honourable induction into the K-9 Unit once Thursday came to a close. Constable Bryan Langevin, Janaya’s training officer at the kennels, presented the K-9 Unit patch.
Janaya receives her badge from Chief Knecht
On Friday morning, Janaya arrived at William Griesbach Training Centre to attend RTC 142’s badge ceremony led by Chief Rod Knecht and Sergeant Michael Hickey. Celebrated as an honourary member of the class, Janaya was gifted an acrylic EPS badge to not only symbolize her EPS experience, but to honour her strength and courage during her treatment and battle. A class photo was taken before her return to SE Division for both an extensive tour of the building and heartfelt goodbyes from her squad. Janaya’s mother, Amanda Crow, asserted this was the happiest she has seen her daughter since before February’s diagnosis.